Report: Youth Drug Use Decreasing

In 2007, 22.6 percent of young people surveyed for the report admitted to using select illicit drugs. By 2017, that number dropped to 14 percent.

In addition, the percentage of high schoolers who had injected an illegal drug in their lifetime, dipped from two percent in 2007 to 1.5 percent in 2017.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the YRBSS in the early 1990s. It focuses on six health-related categories (tobacco use, violence, alcohol/drug use, sexual behavior, dietary behavior, and physical inactivity).

It also includes a survey (the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey) where students (grades 9 through 12, in both public and private institutions) answer questions related to their health. Almost 15,000 young people participated in the 2017 survey, which is conducted every two years.

Additional Findings

While the drop in illicit drug use among young people is good news, the report also sheds light on where young people get drugs, what they’re using the most, and much more.

About 20 percent of students reported being offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property during the past 12 months before they were surveyed.

See percentages of lifetime use (broken down by drug) in the chart on the right.